There have been numerous calls recently to increase the use of active learning in university science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) classrooms to more actively engage students and enhance student learning. However, few studies have investigated faculty and student perceptions regarding the effectiveness of active learning or the…

The purpose of this essay is to offer a survey of religious studies capstones from twenty-nine U.S. colleges and universities, to identify the most common frustrations about the capstone, and to observe how departments resolve such frustrations. I conclude that the most successful capstones--in terms of students' performance and faculty…

The purpose of this study was to examine and compare key elements of the actions that states in the USA and Australia took to implement the Common Core State Standards or Phase One of the Australian Curriculum, and what processes and products they used to facilitate implementation of these innovations. A rubric adapted from a diagnostic tool,…

Evidence shows that instructional materials have large effects on student learning. However, little research exists on the effectiveness of most instructional materials, and very little systematic information has been collected on which materials are being used in which schools. In this new report, Russ Whitehurst and Fellow Matthew Chingos argue…

This article describes how to design program assessment for mathematics departments, in two-year and four-year colleges across the Midwest, based on a set of components that was generated from a Delphi survey. An example is provided to illustrate how this was done at a small four-year college. There is an alignment between these components and a…

This final report presents findings from a multi-year evaluation of the Comprehensive Technical Assistance Centers, a federally funded program that provides technical assistance to states in connection with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as reauthorized by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. With the redesign of the Center…

The roads of incoming information to the US higher education system about the Bologna Process are varied and numerous. They include not only the on-line and traditional trade press, but also conferences of national organisations. Whether anyone remembers much of that information, on the other hand, is an open question, as a limited survey…

Last spring, the author distributed a survey to majors and minors in Hispanic studies at Connecticut College and at other schools to informally gather student attitudes toward the nature of Hispanic-studies courses as it pertained to their interests and goals. Although results were somewhat predictable, an unexpected finding was that of 148…

In the summer of 2011, the Tennessee Department of Education contracted with the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) to provide a four-day training for all evaluators across the state. NIET trained more than 5,000 evaluators intensively in the state model (districts using alternative instruments delivered their own training).…

Like many institutions, Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) has struggled to move beyond anecdotal sketches of student experiences to a more detailed picture of student engagement supported by methodically and systematically collected quantitative data. In 2004, as part of its ongoing commitment to data-informed or data-based decision making, the…

Russia is becoming a part of the Bologna Process. What are the attitudes toward this in the colleges and universities of Russia? Scientists in the laboratory of modern educational technologies of the faculty of sociology at Moscow M.V. Lomonosov State University, under the supervision of Professor V.Ia. Nechaev, doctor of sociological sciences,…

Mounting pressure for transformational change in higher education driven by technology, globalization, competition, funding shortages, and increased emphasis on accountability necessitates that universities implement reforms to demonstrate responsiveness to all stakeholders and to provide evidence of student achievement. In the face of the demand…

Examines the impact of the voluntary national standards on college and university music teacher education curricula using a mail questionnaire. Reviews the qualitative and quantitative data from the survey. The data generally show that the higher the school enrollment, the more likely the national standards would be implemented. (CMK)

A survey of predoctoral pediatric dental programs gathered information about changes since 1980 in total and topic-area didactic curriculum hours, percentage of topic area material updated, and frequency of clinical procedures used. Results suggest significant change during that period. (MSE)

A survey of all 50 state departments of education revealed that activity in the area of metric education increased during 1975. Examples of activities in seven states are provided. (SD)